Kapahi’s Hawaiian Fruit Packers closes

On Friday, Oct. 12, 1973, Hawaiian Fruit Packers, Ltd. of Kapahi ceased operations after 41 years in business — the last of three pineapple planting, harvesting and processing companies to close on the Garden Island.

One of the other two, Hawaiian Canneries of Kapa‘a, had been in operation from 1913 to 1962, while Lawa‘i’s Kaua‘i Pineapple Company produced canned pineapple from 1907 to 1964.

Wayne Gregg, manager of Hawaiian Fruit Packers, stated that the reasons for the closure were heavy losses due to rising labor and production costs and the increase in cheap foreign competition in the U.S. domestic market from places such as Taiwan.

Friday was the last day of work at the Kapahi cannery for 45 employees, while about 25 workers would continue shipping pineapple at the cannery until the end of 1973, when the final shipment of canned pineapple from Kaua‘i was expected.

About 90 part-time workers were also let go and around a dozen independent farmers growing pineapple on a contract basic for Hawaiian Fruit Packers on their 5- to 12-acre farms would lose their market.

Among those farmers were Alex Youn, John Vilela, Danny Hiranaka, Kioto Miyashiro, Tommy Miyashiro, Nobu Tokashiki, Albert Bettencourt and Hideo and Mamo Wakuta.

Hawaiian Fruit Packers originated in 1932 when a group of Kapa‘a farmers formed a cooperative for processing their pineapple.

By 1937, the company’s profits enabled it to lease additional lands.

Then, in 1942, Stokely Van Camp of Indianapolis purchased an interest in Hawaiian Fruit Packers and became its sales agent. A couple of years later, Stokely Van Camp acquired a majority of the company’s stock.

At its peak in 1962, Hawaiian Fruit Packers was growing pineapple on 2,175 acres in Wailua, Kapa‘a, Kealia, Anahola and Moloa‘a, of which 1,000 acres were leased from Lihu‘e Plantation.